The Enyobeni tavern owners said they would not apologise for the incident that killed 21 youngsters in June.

Appearing in the East London Magistrate's Court on Wednesday, Siyakhangela Ndevu and his wife Vuyokazi said they refuse to take the blame for the deaths.

Siyakhangela said: "Apologise for what? What have I done wrong?" Then Vuyokazi interrupted him and said: "We won't apologise. We did not kill those children. We don't owe anyone any apology."

The wife then instructed her husband to no longer take questions from the media after the court proceedings, News24 reported.

"Do not answer him. We have nothing further to say," Vuyokazi said.

The couple then stormed out of the building with their support team of eight women behind them.

The couple remain on warning under charges of contravening the Liquor Act for selling alcohol to underage children on the night where 21 people died.

Parents of the victims have had an element of closure when the Department of Health said the cause of death was suffocation, but they said they still expected an apology.

Khululekile Ncandana lost his 17-year-old son in the incident and felt the lack of an apology showed the owners' true colours.

"The fact that those people are not willing to apologise shows that they are not remorseful at all for what happened at their tavern," he said.

Despite the Department of Health saying the tavern being overcrowded led to the deaths, parents disputed the assertion and threatened to go to court to find out the "real" cause of death.

The tavern where the tragedy took place has since been closed after the Eastern Cape Liquor Board revoked its licence.

Adding to the tavern's woes, the Buffalo City Metro revealed the building was illegal and would soon be demolished.

The tavern owners' case was postponed to 24 November.